US group: Foreign authors censored in China without knowing
WASHINGTON — A US-based advocacy group is warning Western authors to be vigilant of censorship of their work in China’s fast-growing book publishing industry, which is sometimes done without their...
View ArticleYour mileage may vary
If you are an old person, conservative and easily disturbed, please skip this column. It is about today’s unpalatable language of the young which is contrary to good manners and proper conduct....
View ArticleKids learn to pick veggies over chips at Read-Along
It's not easy to convince children to choose vegetables and fruits over sweets and junk food, but storytelling definitely helps. The post Kids learn to pick veggies over chips at Read-Along appeared...
View ArticleRaul Roco: ‘Best President PH never had’ immortalized in De Quiros book
A poignant hush fell over the crowd when Inquirer columnist Conrado de Quiros was wheeled into the room during the launch of De Quiros’ biography of the late Sen. Raul Roco, his friend of many years....
View ArticleKWF to launch new titles for National Language Month
The Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) is holding a monthlong series of activities this August in connection with National Language Month or Buwan ng Wika. The post KWF to launch new titles for National...
View ArticleCarry mo?
I used to know English and I used to know Tagalog. Or so I thought. Now I’m lost when English is treated as Tagalog. Carry mo bang ano? Carry mong isuot—ano pa? Dare to wear mo ba, go against the...
View ArticleComedian Patton Oswalt remembers wife in touching essay
Comedian Patton Oswalt has authored a touching essay nearly two weeks after the unexpected death of his wife, crime writer Michelle McNamara. The post Comedian Patton Oswalt remembers wife in touching...
View ArticleWrite ‘old-fashioned’ letter, win P50, 000
THE PROJECT to revive the “old-fashioned” practice of impassioned letter writing has been launched this year by the Department of Education (DepEd), which urges students to send a letter of gratitude...
View ArticleScholastic: Championing literary in the PH
Aliteracy, the phenomenon of children choosing not to read despite being able to, is a cause for concern in many nations, including the Philippines. The loss of a reading habit among children is...
View ArticleAncient script finds new hope in the young
“Baybayin,” an ancient script popularly but erroneously known as “alibata,” has found unlikely support among today’s younger generation. The post Ancient script finds new hope in the young appeared...
View ArticleConversations close to the heart adorn walls in India, Pakistan
There is a wall mural in the compound of a rundown textile mill located in the Hindu-majority Mahalaxmi area of Mumbai that carries a haunting verse penned down by Urdu poet Muqtida Hasan Nida Fazli in...
View ArticleSexiest American accents for Europeans
Next time you're in Paris and needing to use a cafe bathroom, put on your best accent from the U.S. Deep South to raise your chances of being waved through. The post Sexiest American accents for...
View ArticleGender-bending, time-traveling pronouns: A history
NEW YORK (AP) — On college campuses and in workplaces, across social media and in deference to non-binary people, gender-neutral pronouns are more than just a new wave of political correctness. They’re...
View ArticleCould speaking native language at home boost IQ for bilingual children?
Children who spoke their native language at home and English at school scored better in the intelligence tests. The post Could speaking native language at home boost IQ for bilingual children? appeared...
View ArticleLost in translation: Papua New Guinea wins language Olympics
With 841 living tongues and a colorful creole lingua franca, Papua New Guinea is the undisputed world champion of linguistic diversity. The post Lost in translation: Papua New Guinea wins language...
View ArticleSmall shops in Japan boosting customer service in English
More small businesses in Japan, including restaurants and stores along shopping streets, have been making efforts to improve the quality of their foreign-language customer services. The post Small...
View ArticleManga adopted in Indonesia as tool for teaching Japanese
SUMEDANG, Indonesia — “Astroboy” and other manga works have been incorporated into Japanese classes that began in Indonesia last month for university students hoping to work in Japan. The post Manga...
View ArticleNo mere matter of language
Some say it’s all political trick, something planned, part of some strategy, and they point to his poll numbers to make the point that the coarseness of his language is part of his mass appeal. But,...
View ArticleBaybayin: Ancient Philippine script revival spells debate
With deliberate golden strokes, artist Taipan Lucero proudly brings an ancient script back to life, in the hope of promoting an endangered but contentious part of the Philippines' heritage. The post...
View ArticleA step toward globalization: Accepting Korean spoken with a foreign accent
SEOUL — When K-pop girl band (G) I-dle member Shuhwa, who hails from Taiwan, appeared on JTBC’s “Knowing Bros” in January, she expressed hopes of appearing on a South Korean talk show someday. However,...
View ArticleRita Avila laments Duterte’s habit of cussing: ‘We’re the receivers of this...
Being allergic to hearing cuss words, actress Rita Avila has started a challenge which she and her daughter took on – putting up a “mura box.” The post Rita Avila laments Duterte’s habit of cussing:...
View ArticleSpanish as language has waned in PH, but can make comeback
When I was growing up in Manila in the 1960s and ’70s, the Spanish language was no longer as vibrant as it had been in the prewar era, when Filipino poets such as Jesus Balmori or Fernando Maria...
View ArticleREVIEW: The app that got me speaking basic Deutsch after six months
In July of last year, I committed to learning German via a PHP2,990 annual subscription to Babbel. It’s my equivalent of making sourdough or adopting 10,000 plants. Today, I set my MacBook and iPhone...
View ArticleWhat’s So Offensive About the Word “Vagina?”
Earlier this week, retired Lt. Colonel Ralph Peters, a Fox News analyst, called President Barack Obama a “pussy” on national TV and the world of punditry erupted in furious condemnation—and rightly so....
View ArticleThe Feminist Mommy’s Manifesto on Teaching My Kid to be a Better Person
Every week, Preen tackles motherhood sans the rose-tinted glasses. Our columnists L. Juliano, Marla Darwin, and Rossana Unson tell their personal experiences like it is—at times frustrating, oftentimes...
View ArticleThe beginner’s guide to trending Filipino slang
Where did “pak ganern” even come from anyway? Brush up on your Filipino slang here Millennials seem to have their own special language. Lit, savage, fam—these are all trending expressions that the...
View ArticleThe way you think is shaped by the languages you know
George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984 tackles power, autocracy, and the use of language to manipulate the working class. In an effort to control information and the likelihood of a rebellion, the...
View ArticleWhy is it important to study Filipino even in college?
The Commission on Higher Education has just decided to retain Filipino subjects in the newly designed college curriculum, which will be implemented in 2018. “We had a meeting with the groups that are...
View ArticleAll the right words: Overcoming my stutter
My fondness for words began at a young age, around the same time I developed a stutter. It is odd since I’d just discovered the beauty of the written word only to get inhibited verbally. Noticing this...
View ArticleWorld’s oldest Spanish-Chinese dictionary found in UST
The thick medallion-colored book was sitting on the bookshelf of the University of Santo Tomas’ (UST) archives library when two researchers grabbed it. It was labeled vale poco or “of little value” due...
View ArticleBilingual author Yoko Tawada shares her experience writing in two languages
There is a symbiotic relationship that exists between language, culture, and history— each with their own amalgam of nuances that may not easily be grasped by an outsider. Simultaneously, an outsider’s...
View ArticleAdd some calamansi to your bihon at the panciteria: new Filipino words in the...
Language is an ever-evolving thing. That’s why dictionaries are always adding new words to keep up with the changing times. The Oxford English Dictionary, the mammoth of a dictionary that aims to...
View ArticleWriting a nation: Should we start using Baybayin again?
Last April, the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture approved a proposal to make Baybayin the country’s national writing system. This means that, once the proposal is enacted, Baybayin...
View ArticleFilipino Sign Language Act is now a law. Here’s what we should expect
Almost three months after the Senate passed the Filipino Sign Language (FSL) Bill in a bid to “promote the rights of the deaf to identity, expression, and communication,” President Rodrigo Duterte...
View ArticleHow ready is DepEd to introduce foreign language classes?
Following last week’s tirade of the non-mandatory inclusion of Filipino subjects in the university level, the Department of Education (DepEd) has drawn ire for the proposal to offer Korean language...
View ArticleThese apps let you meet a friendly stranger from around the world
Ah, networking: a necessary evil in a society heading towards globalization. When handshakes and small talk are always done with an ulterior motive in mind, trying to make real and genuine connections...
View ArticleMultidisciplinary team from DLSU develops Hanunuo e-dictionary app
The collaboration of different faculty members and students of De La Salle University (DLSU) has resulted in the development of a mobile app and a website that features the first Hanunoo Mangyan mobile...
View ArticleOur Japanese Kansai Foundation made a site, so weabs can learn actual Kanji...
Anime fans who’ve mastered the art of reading subs will know what I’m talking about: sometimes you pick up a phrase or a few words, and you can piece together what may be going on in a scene. Based on...
View ArticleNo subs required: QC Public Library is teaching Japanese for free
Most of us are picking up new skills this quarantine. So, the Quezon City Public Library (QCPL) dares to ask, why not add proficiency in Japanese to your current skill set? They’ll teach it to you with...
View Article2024 is the year of ‘brain rot,’ according to Oxford Dictionary
More than 37,000 people voted for the term out of six shortlisted by Oxford The Word of the Year has finally been decided, and according to Oxford and the voting public, “brain rot” is the term that...
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